Episode #69 - To Master the Onix-pected!

Ash and Brock are home watching TV. Not normal television. It was Bruno, a member of the Elite 4, battling. Misty turns off the TV, and tells them that they should be training. Ash and friends go into the mountains surrounding Pallet Town, in hopes of finding the trainer named Bruno, and finding his secrets to catching and training Pokemon.

Brock respects this trainer greatly, as he is a member of the Elite Four; and wishes to train under him. Once in the mountains, they receive warning from an old lady, that a giant Onix is rampaging through the area. Heedless, the group presses on, finding themselves in a gulch full of Onix tracks.

Suddenly an Onix-- easily three times the size of any Onix they've ever encountered, and covered in battle scars--comes rushing towards them. The trio is rescued by a mountain man, who turns out to be Bruno. Brock begs Bruno to accept Ash and himself as pupils, and Bruno agrees.

First, he has them fetch water from the stream, then he has them chop the firewood, and make a cooking fire. Finally, he sits down to eat his dinner, while Ash and Brock wonder what they've been tricked into doing. Brock figures that Bruno is testing them. He's pretending to relax his guard, but if they were to attack him, he'd easily beat them off. To prove his point, Brock runs at Bruno with a club--and clobbers him over the head. Nursing the wound, Bruno excuses the kids, saying that he doesn't have time for students, since he's trying to capture the giant Onix.

Team Rocket overhears Bruno's story about the Onix, and decides to capture it for themselves. Unfortunately, when they encounter the mad Onix, their attacks only manage to anger it further. Ash co. soon finds the trio cowering in a cave, trapped by the deadly rock snake.

Hoping to draw the beast away, the kids send out Squirtle and Staryu, as well as their own Onix, to combat it. Again, the attacks are useless. Enraged, the Onix turns on Ash co. as well. Bruno reappears, to rescue the kids once again. Onix lunges towards him, but Bruno is too fast for it to catch. Finally, it falls to the ground, exhausted. Bruno asks the Onix what has upset it so, and finds the root of the problem--a Sandslash, wedged between Onix's rocks. He quickly removes it, and the grateful Onix allows itself to be captured.